The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-12-01
PRUDENCE, TIE MOTHER OF
SECURITY.

different communications sent to the
BULLETIN by Judge Hartwell, and
though am far from agreeing with
all the views expressed 10y that gen.
tleman, yet some / most cordially
endorse at any rate | consider that
he deserves better than the mean
snears which have been directed
against him by men, whom | guess,
would do much better to occupy
themselves by the government of
their own homes sooner than to be
dabbling into politics.
| especially consider that the late
article, in which Judge Hartwell
aims at pointing out the dangers
lying in some of the important bills
now before the Legislature, is en-
titled to the thanks and earnest
attention of this community. Judge
Hartwell is not only gentleman of
intellect, ability and experience, but
furthermore he is just returned from
long stay abroad, in which he has
been able to see and learn many
things which men like his opponents
would never dream of, whilst re-
naming all their lives confined in
lilliputian Hawaii; a little travelling
does q man vast amount of good
and many know-all, stay at home
wise heads here ought not to
forget it.
Judge Hartwell, even if he did
err, deserves credit for pointing out
breakers ahead, and with him | shall
take the liberty of telling my fellow
citizens to beware of some laws
which are about to be passed, the
true results of which are surely not
realised at present in full even by
their very authors.
To my mind, as to Judge Hart
wells, the present tendency is to
be giving The executive officers of
the Government too much elastic
power, and some measures brought
in would really tend to put the
country at the mercy of two men,
the Attorney-General and the Cen
eral-in- Chief. Of course, we all
know the present incumbents of the
Ministry, and have in them the ut
most faith, which they deserve for
their earnest honesty. Yet no one
is ready to accept all of their acts,
nor willing to make them really
irresponsible by giving them too
much responsibility, and more arti-
cularly, we must remember that laws
are made, not for one day and for
some particular incumbent, but for
lasting and for confronting every
emergency.
Now, supposing that future day
did come, when our executive offices
fell into designing hands, or of two
of them, with two others, weak and
easily lead-what then? By the
connivance of the two just men
toned, the result would be that
they would virtually rule the whole
country, at least in the intervals
from one session to another, and we
would have to submit to a despotism
worse than that of Gibson's, with
this difference that Gibson was at
any time amenable to the King,
whilst in the new state of things,
not even the King would have any
say for the two years. Alone the
next Legislature would have power
to interfere, but, as two clever men
in power could easily control the
whole elections, the real situation
would then be a protracted dicta-
ture, to which King and people
alike would have to yield, until OBJ
liged to resort to another armed
revolution, which, this time, would
not be so bloodless.
In these views, | am not guided
by any criticism or feeling against
the present state of affairs or the
present men, but, like Judge Hart
well, by common prudence and fore
sight. AS l belong to no party,
and l am independent, the most
perfectly independent man, prob
ably in the country, cannot be
suspected when l say that the real
trouble of politics in this country is
to keep the different powers that
be, well balanced; and whatever
authority is taken away from one
hand of Government is liable to
make the other one to which it is
transferred too powerful. For in
stance, taking away from the King
to the Ministers has tendency of
making those only theoretically res
ponsible to the people with no power
to keep them in the right way;
taking away from the Governors or
other branches to give the Attorney
General may make this officer too
strong; taking away from the At
Jorney-General to give the Supreme
Court might result in this judicial
body virtually becoming the SUI
oreme rulers.
There lies the danger and beware
Of it, gentlemen, who are making
avs. Look out to properly divid-